Summertime is typically strange for me when it comes to preparing meals, because as I mentioned here, some of the kids go visit their mom for the summer. I’m used to cooking for a crowd, so it’s a change to only cook for four (plus a toddler) right now!
Out of habit, I try to keep our grocery bill as low as possible while still cooking home-made or mostly home-made meals for my family. Don’t mistake me for a perfect mom that cooks home-made food all the time. We eat very real in our house, with my older kids often grabbing cereal or frozen waffles for breakfast and chicken nuggets or ramen noodles for lunch. Dinners, however, we try to *mostly* prepare with as few ingredients as possible, on a budget, and keeping it healthy-ish.
How and Where I Shop
We shop at Sam’s club once or twice a month for some major savings on regularly used items like yogurt, butter, cheese, proteins, and some favorite bulk snacks. I still do weekly grocery shopping, typically by delivery, and usually from Aldi. I’m a meal planner. I have to be. I’d go crazy trying to figure out what’s for dinner every night. Bonus: I write it on a white board in our kitchen so I don’t get asked twenty times a day “What’s for dinner tonight?”
So here is our weekly meal plan for this week. I’ve included what items we already had on hand, and what I had to purchase, as well as our grocery costs for the week. I hope this gives someone some dinner ideas!
Meal Plan
Breakfasts: Pancakes, French toast sticks, Bagels, Cereal
Lunches: Lunch meat sandwiches, Almond butter and jelly, Grilled cheese, Ramen noodles, Easy Mac
Snacks: Fresh fruit, Yogurt, Granola bars, Veggie straws, Tortilla chips/Nachos, Ice cream sandwiches/cones, Cookies
Dinners:
- Tuesday: Grilled hotdogs and fries
- Wednesday: Crockpot Ranch chicken and gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans
- Thursday: Crockpot sausage and peppers over rice
- Friday: Pesto pasta with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and chicken
- Saturday: Chicken cesar salad and garlic toast
- Sunday: Bacon, eggs and croissants
- Monday: Fend-for-yourself night or takeout
Grocery List
What I had on hand:
- Breakfast — Pancake mix, bagels & cream cheese, cereal
- Lunches — Almond butter & jelly, sliced cheese, ramen noodles, Easy Mac
- Snacks — Granola bars, Tortilla chips, shredded cheese
- Tuesday — Hot dogs, buns & fries
- Wednesday — Mashed potatoes, frozen green beans, cream of chicken and Ranch seasoning
- Thursday — Marinara sauce, onions, rice
- Friday — Sun-dried tomatoes
- Saturday — Romaine lettuce, dressing, croutons
- Sunday — Eggs, croissants
Sam’s Club Haul: French toast sticks, yogurt, butter, veggie straws (note: I did not note prices because I forgot to save my receipt)
Aldi Haul: Total $76 with delivery
- Milk $2.59
- LaCroix $2.99 ea x2
- Raspberries $2.55
- Strawberries $1.99
- Bananas $0.48
- Grapes $1.99
- Chocolate chip cookies $4.17 (for 3)
- Ice cream sandwiches $2.09
- Ice cream sundae cones $4.39
- Pouches $0.89 x 6
- Bagels $2.19
- Raisin bran $2.15
- Bread $2.05
- Turkey lunch meat $2.15
- Ham lunch meat $2.15
- Frozen chicken breasts $6.15
- Garlic toast $1.99
- Penne $0.85
- Spinach $1.45
- Pesto $2.45
- Sausage $3.55
- Bell peppers $3.29
- Bacon $3.85
Note: You’ll see in our meal plan that I include a “fend-for-yourself” night. Most of our kids (toddler and newborn aside) are pretty capable in the kitchen so once a week we let them eat whatever they feel like making for dinner. It can be cereal, eggs, grilled cheese, ramen noodles, or other simple items, and they are also welcome to get more adventurous if they wish. If we feel like it we also can do takeout or go out to eat (when we’re not in the middle of a global pandemic) on these nights. It helps me feel more flexible to have a night every week that is no-cook, and I’ve found since we incorporated this into our plan, we have less food waste too!
I hope this post was helpful. Keep an eye out for more meal-planning and grocery shopping tips when the kids get home from their mom’s this summer and I have more mouths to feed!
